Word.ws English Dictionary

holdfast

holdfast noun: something to or by which an object can be securely fastened.

holdfast: something to or by which an object can be securely fastened
Image: Bob Key, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

holdfast (plural holdfasts)

  1. Something to or by which an object can be securely fastened.
    • And Ivy divided from the root, we have observed to live some years, by the cirrous parts commonly conceived but as tentacles and holdfasts unto it.1658, Sir Thomas Browne, The Garden of Cyrus, Folio Society, published 2007, page 198
  2. A root-like structure that anchors aquatic sessile organisms, such as seaweed, other sessile algae, stalked crinoids, benthic cnidarians, and sponges, to the substrate.
  3. (archaic) Actinomycosis.
  4. The aspect of a character that experiences destructive temptation.
    • Alienation: A stage on the downside of the passage wherein the holdfast and the antihero take actions which bring about a disintegration of personality.2006, James Bonnet, Stealing Fire from the Gods: The Complete Guide to Story for Writers and Filmmakers

Proper noun capitalized: Holdfast

Holdfast

  1. A hamlet and civil parish (served by Longdon, Queenhill and Holdfast Parish Council) in Malvern Hills district, Worcestershire, England (OS grid ref SO853378).

holdfast meaning in Tamil

holdfast in Tamil

வன்பிடி

Forms of holdfast

pluralholdfasts

Origin of holdfast

Deverbal from hold fast.

Words formed from holdfast

Questions about holdfast

What does holdfast mean?
Holdfast means something to or by which an object can be securely fastened.
What is holdfast in Tamil?
Holdfast in Tamil is வன்பிடி. See Holdfast meaning in Tamil.
What part of speech is holdfast?
Holdfast can be a noun or a proper noun.
What is the plural of holdfast?
The plural of holdfast is holdfasts.

Words near holdfast in the dictionary

  1. holders-up
  2. holdership
  3. holderships
  4. holdest
  5. holdeth
  6. holdfast
  7. Holdfast Bay
  8. holdfastness
  9. holdfasts
  10. holdin'
  11. holding

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: holdfast (page history and authors); Holdfast (page history and authors); holdfast (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “holdfast.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/holdfast. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.